Date: 27 March 2005
Characters: Ernie Macmillan, Eleanor Branstone
Location: Eleanor's house, Roma
Status: Private
Summary: Ernie and Eleanor are actually home (and awake) at the same time.
Completion: Complete
(
Now that his hours were back to normal, Ernie arrived home before Eleanor. )
Comments 51
She stepped into the bedroom as Ernie was walking out of the bathroom. Wearing nothing but a towel.
Oh Merlin. Chest, and stomach, and legs. Eleanor's mouth fell open. She shouldn't stare, as it definately was not helping in the whole taking things slow department. She couldn't really help it, though. What the hell had happened to him ( ... )
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Probably sometime around the final chorus of Tiny Dancer, the little voice replied.
His hand gripped the towel tightly. Eleanor was staring...at his scar. She was asking about that awful day at the Ministry. And he intended on answering, but lost the ability to speak. Her fingers were trailing the entire length of it from his left pectoral to his right hipbone. Hopeful that she wasn't too bothered by it, Ernie was crushed when she snatched her hand away as if she'd been burned. Eleanor was moving back and stammering something about how he probably wanted to get dressed.
"Right. Dressed," he said, nodding. When she turned around to leave the bedroom, he added softly, "I'm sorry. That you had to see like that. I...I should've warned you. It's not...it's terrible...I..." his voice trailed off. "I'll get my bag and get dressed."
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"I do wish... that you had, uh... told me. Because I didn't... realize that it had... been that bad." Merlin, she was terrible. It was hard to be supportive when he wasn't wearing any clothing. And she still wanted to steal his towel.
"You really do need to... get dressed." Eleanor cleared her throat and stared at the wall beyond his head. "I, er..." Really need another bath. "Would really... like to... talk to you about... this. But you're very nice to--" No! Not supportive! "I mean... bugger. The nakedness is not helping, Ernie." She really couldn't think of a way to put it tactfully. And she wasn't sure if her face would ever go back to a normal colour.
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And now Ernie was embarrassed for an entirely different reason. This was not the time or the place for that to be happening.
"Yes, I'll get dressed," he said as he left the bedroom to get his bag. Once he had it, he ducked into the hall bathroom to get dressed. Boxers, denims, his blue jumper, socks. If they decided to go out, he could always change.
"Elle?" he called out when he stepped into the hallway.
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She snorted when he asked if dad thought he was a tosser. "Ern, dad didn't call you that. He called Matt that," she reminded him. "And dad and I have come to an agreement. He's going to forget about the other day and start fresh."
Well, he'd said he'd try, anyway. Which was better than nothing.
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When she said that her father was going to forget about the other morning, Ernie nodded. "That's good," he said. "When did you want for me to meet your family?" He paused. "That was one of your father's conditions."
When the waiter stopped by to tell them that their food would be out shortly, he wore a smirk. "Remind me again why I thought going out would be a good idea," Ernie muttered to himself.
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"Yeah, it still is. We can do it whenever you're ready. I told him that you were working long hours, which was true at the time. I'll call and make sure mum's days off haven't changed."
Eleanor shook her head when Ernie started mumbling. If he had forgotten she certainly wasn't going to remind him.
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"'s hot," he explained as he poured himself another glass and then topped off Eleanor's. "How's yours?"
He looked over at her, mesmerized as her lips closed over her fork. He couldn't help but thinking about her lips other places. Not the time nor the place, he reminded himself as he concentrated on his dinner.
"My hours are normal again. And I actually have days off. So...whenever it would be best for you and your family, I reckon." He took another bite. "I'm a bit nervous," he confided. "I don't have a lot of experience with...er...meeting families."
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Ernie wandered off to the bedroom while Eleanor went to fetch the bottle of oil from the linnen closet in the hall. She smeared a drop on a piece of paper, as it smelled really strong in the bottle, and this would give Ernie a better idea of what the soap would smell like once it had cured.
He was still in the bedroom when she'd finished, so she headed in that direction as well. "Ernie?" she asked softly from the doorway. It probaby wouldn't be the best idea to go inside. Instead she held the scrap of paper out to him. "It's, uh, woodsy. I used some pine and cedar, and some other notes. Nutmeg if I remember right, and rosewood. Oh thats not flowery, by the way. I wrote it all down, in case you do like it."
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He closed the space between them before kissing her cheek. "Thank you. And this goes beyond normal couple things. So I'm allowed to thank you." He moved back slightly, wanting her to know he meant what he'd said about not rushing her.
"Er...when will I see you again?" Not coming home to her would take some adjustment, he reckoned.
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Eleanor resisted the urge to wrap her arms around him and kiss him properly. Though it wasn't easy. "You're welcome. I enjoyed it, actually." She stifled a sigh as he stepped back. Was it too late to ask him to stay? She was going to miss having him there with her.
"Well, you can see me tomorrow when you pick up your laundry," she said, raising an eyebrow at him. "And you can stay for dinner too, if you have time."
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He stared for a moment. "I should probably be going." He leaned in and gave Eleanor a gentle kiss. 'I will not lose control,' he repeated in his head. 'I will not lose control.'
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